On Election Day, You Can Find Evidence for Whatever You Want to Believe — But Whatever You Do, Just Go Vote

You know, Obama showed up in Chicago. He went to one of his campaign offices. He stopped in there on his way home. Hey, hey, here’s another thing. I’ve mentioned the blog HillBuzz to you before, and I check it occasionally. Kevin DuJan, if I’m pronouncing that right, runs that blog. I remember when I first heard about ’em, I thought it was a bunch of women for Hillary, but it’s a guy who was for Hillary.

He became a big fan of this program during Operation Chaos. But he pointed out a couple of weeks ago that Obama didn’t book Grant Park for tonight for his election night address to the troops. Grant Park was where he held his election night celebration in 2008. Obama has booked McCormick Place in Chicago, which reputedly is not the most accessible place in the world. It’s not the easiest place in the world to get to.

I mean, it’s there on the lakefront. I don’t know why it’s not easy to get to. It certainly is not as accessible as Grant Park. They didn’t apply for permits and permission to use Grant Park ever, at any time. Some people are reading into that, that the Obama camp figures it’s gonna lose. You know, you book McCormick Place where not nearly as many people can get in… Hey, folks, I’m just sharing with you.

You want to know what I’m hearing. I’m just telling you. I’m not attaching any weight to any of this. I’m not predicting an outcome here subtly or openly or in any way. I’m just telling you what I hear. I mean, everybody e-mails me, “Rush, what are you hearing? Have you got any exit polls yet?” When I hear stuff, I’ll tell you. Obama goes into his campaign office and he makes phone calls.

He sits down, he gets a nice round of applause from his own campaign team, which makes sense. They’re all jazzed in there. And he starts calling voters, part of the get-out-the-vote drive. And the first woman he calls doesn’t know who he is, or doesn’t believe it’s him. You know, one of the two. So he’s laughing and chatting with her. (interruption) What? (interruption) When do I find out the early voting trends? (interruption)

I’m on the tail end of finding that stuff out. Other people have to find out and then shovel it to me. So, probably five o’clock is when I’ll hear something. That’s when it was last year. Or 2008 is when it was. And the same thing in 2004. In 2004, actually, there was a wave that was released before the program ended, and it was bad for Bush. It was really bad for Bush. I’d have to go back. I think I mentioned them.

Maybe I didn’t mention the two o’clock wave, ’cause I didn’t want to depress anybody. I don’t think I did mention them, but I remember I didn’t believe it. I do remember… Yeah, that’s what it was. I didn’t tell you. I had the two o’clock wave, and it was disastrous for Bush. Folks, it was bad, and I was debating whether or not to mention it, and then after a while, I said, “Even if Bush is gonna lose, it ain’t like this. This just doesn’t make any sense.”

And it turned out that the exit poll wave at two o’clock and five o’clock, both of them, were dead wrong. (interruption) Yes. I’m not holding back anything now. I haven’t heard anything. I’ll tell you this. Not only that, we learned about the exit polls. We learned that they were fraudulently taken. We learned that the exit pollsters were sort of like interns that were hired.

There’s only one company that does exit polls for every network. The networks don’t do them individually. Just one outfit does them. I don’t remember who it is. (interruption) Well, I’ll tell you this. I have heard — and it’s secondhand. It’s from a friend, but… You know, the toughest part of my life is weeding through the BS. Everybody tells me stuff with good intentions. They wanna help. But it’s like the guy who called from Iowa.

“Hey, I got big news here, man! The Republican turnout is through the roof!”

“Really, how many?”

“Thirty-eight.”

“Oh.”

But to him, that’s big news: 38 Republicans, seven Democrats. In his polling place, percentage-wise, it was big. But you can’t extrapolate anything from that. It doesn’t mean anything. You gotta be very careful. So I have to sift through everything anybody tells me. So I got a little blurb this morning. I don’t even know whether it’s true. So that’s why I didn’t make a big deal out of telling you. In fact, I don’t think it is.

It doesn’t sound believable at all.

But the person who told it to me swears by it. It is simply this, that the exit poll firm, there’s a guy who’s been hired. And he told a friend of a friend that he has been ordered not to interview any elderly white people when he does his exit polls. Okay, so that would mean that whoever’s doing the exit polls wants a rigged result to use before the polls are closed to affect turnout.

So much of this kind of stuff happens on Election Day, and I have so much of it flowing in here that the best thing to do is believe none of it. And then make note of it, and then go back after the fact and look at it to see if any of it was true so that you can make some value judgment for the future. For example, Obama finishes last night in tears in a half-empty arena. Now, what does that mean to you?

What does it mean, in terms of the election? ‘Cause somebody just said to me (it was H.R.), “Yeah, Romney really looks good!” I said, “What does that mean?” “Well, he doesn’t look nervous. He looks really happy.” “Oh, okay.” From that we infer that Romney knows he’s winning? No. We don’t know that. I don’t know that Romney knows he’s winning. He may. I haven’t the slightest idea. But then Obama: No voice. Clinton: No voice.

Clinton saying odd stuff like (impression), “You wanna elect a guy that lies to you all the time? Ha. Well, then keep voting Obama. Ha-ha!” Obama finishes before a half-empty arena in tears. Crying. Is it because it’s his last election? Here. Folks, I put together here at the top of my Stack just to show you: “Fired-Up Crowd, Empty Seats Greet Obama in Ohio.” That’s from Real Clear Politics. “Tearful Obama Ends Campaign in Iowa.”

He ended his campaign by crying. But if you remember, it worked for Hillary. Crying worked for Hillary. It’s how she won the New Hampshire primary in 2008. So maybe Bill’s telling Obama to cry. He’s crying because he knows he’s losing? Because it’s his last campaign? Michelle is talking about how it’s his last campaign, and then there are a couple of other stories from the Drive-Bys that, if you lose control, you can tell yourself they are setting the stage for an Obama defeat.

“Barack Obama the Not-So-Happy Warrior.” That’s one headline. It’s Politico. “If Obama Loses, Why.” There are already stories to explain why Obama lost out there. And then: “Barack Obama the Not-So-Happy Warrior — Barack ObamaÂ’s enthusiasm gap began at home. There is a surprisingly simple explanation for ObamaÂ’s up-and-down performance as a candidate during his reelection grind in 2012, for those lackluster TV appearances, for that epic flop Oct. 3 on the Denver debate stage that might yet cost him his presidency…”

“If Obama Loses, Who is to Blame?” That’s a headline. Some of that stuff’s from Politico. Then in the next one, the New York Times: “A President’s Last Race, Win or Lose,” and here’s the last couple of paragraphs: “The president did contemplate the possibility of defeat, but said he and his family ‘would be fine no matter what the outcome’…” Well, we’ve heard that two or three times. He said (impression), “Whatever happens, Michelle and I will be fine at the Obama Center for Social Justice in Hawaii.”

“He is not a nervous man. But even his famous cool may be challenged on Tuesday night. For the ‘prop,’ it is all over but the waiting, while Mr. Plouffe makes some calls and bothers some more folks.” That’s how the New York Times story ends, and then there’s Stephanie Cutter (paraphrased): “Don’t panic over the early exit polls. Don’t get yourself into any trouble.” So if you look, you can find evidence.

Dan Rather said, Romney’s gonna have a good day. By the way, grab sound bite 12. It’s A.B. Stoddard of TheHill.com. She was on with Greta last night, Greta Van Susteren. I think one of the hardest-working women in TV, by the way. Greta Van Susteren spoke with The Hill editor or columnist A.B. Stoddard about the presidential race.

Greta said, “Dick Morris, Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich, Michael Barone, Rush Limbaugh, say that Romney is gonna win and they give it by pretty sizable margins. What would you say to them, A.B.?”

STODDARD: I think that they could be right. I think Romney can win small and he can win very big. I think if President Obama wins, he ekes it out with a small margin, but I think it’s entirely possible that the Republicans are right and that the electorate, the model that the Democrats are looking at is not correct, and that Romney not only wins, but wins big. I also think there’s a very good chance if you look at all those states we’re talking about where it’s so tight, that he wins small.

RUSH: So she sees three outcomes, by the way, which is an echo of Mark Halperin, TIME Magazine, two weeks ago. Three outcomes, Romney wins big or small, or Obama wins small. So my point is, whatever you want to believe, you can find it out there. If you want to believe Romney’s toast, you can go find it. If you want to believe Romney’s winning and it’s gonna be big, you can find it. If you want to read that the exit polls are corrupt, you can find that. I’m hearing it all.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Jay-Z, noted rap figure in American pop culture, noted Obama bundler and fundraiser and supporter, performed live with Obama, who is the president of the United States, at a campaign event in Columbus, Ohio, yesterday.

Now, remember, it is Obama and the Democrats who claim that it’s the Republicans who are conducting a War on Women. So here’s Mr. Z, who I think the most often used word in his lyrics is hoes and bitches, is performing for the president of the United States and his supporters at a half-filled arena in Columbus, Ohio. Now, we don’t know what’s in Mr. Z’s heart, but Mr. Z performed his song 99 Problems and he changed the lyrics. He changed the word “bitch” to “Mitt.” And we have just a little 16-second blurb of this. Now, this took place, again, in Columbus, Ohio, at a rally for the president of the United States, who is conducting a campaign accusing the Republicans of conducting a War on Women.

JAY-Z: If you’re having girl problems, I feel bad for you, son, I got 99 problems, but Mitt ain’t one. I got the rap patrol on the gat patrol. Foes that wanna make sure my casket’s closed. Rap critics that say he’s “Money Cash Hoes.” I’m from the hood, stupid, what type of facts are those?

RUSH: Need to repeat the lyric line there? “If you’re having girl problems, I feel bad for you, son, I got 99 problems, but Mitt ain’t one.” The word ‘bitch’ is normally in the lyric line there, but he said Mitt. “I got the rap patrol on the gat patrol. Foes that wanna make sure my casket’s closed. Rap critics that say he’s ‘Money Cash Hoes.’ I’m from the hood, stupid, what type of facts are those?”

That’s at a campaign rally for the president of the United States at a half filled arena. Prior to that it was Bruce Springsteen who took the phone from Obama and called the governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, fulfilling a lifelong dream of the governor to talk to The Boss. And Governor Christie said he went home and wept, that that call had such meaning.

Michelle Obama last night in Des Moines, Iowa, at a campaign event…

MICHELLE: This is a pretty emotional time for us, because this is the final event of my husband’s final campaign.

FOLLOWERS: (weary cheers)

MICHELLE: So this is the last time that he and I will be on stage together at a campaign rally.

RUSH: Well, no, not really. Not if you win. He’s gonna be… I mean, I know what she’s trying to say here. But this…? What, are they evoking the sympathy vote? “It’s our last rally together. It’s our last campaign. It’s our last…” Is that how you’re thinking as you’re embarking on a second term? If you’re thinking about embarking on a second term with all the wonderful “flexibility” you’re gonna have to deal with Putin and Russia — and all the wonderful “flexibility” you’re gonna have to do whatever you want to do to this country because nobody can stop you — you’re looking at it as your last rally?

Here’s Obama himself in Des Moines last night…

OBAMA: I want to take this opportunity to say one thing to all the young people and not-so-young people who’ve given so much to this campaign over the years. Those of you who haven’t done this just for me, but for each other — for a laid-off family member, for a sick child, for a fallen friend. To all of you who’ve lived and breathed the hard work of change, I want to thank you.

RUSH: That sounds like a guy saying good-bye. I’m sorry, it sounds like guy saying good-bye. Michelle Obama is also telling crowds in Florida, “Don’t let anybody push you out of line.” Don’t let anybody push you out of line? What, is she worried about Bull Connor? “Don’t let anybody push you out of line.” That’s the warning to Florida. I’m fascinated by the view that liberals have of this country.

(Obama impression) “You haven’t done this stuff for me, but you’ve done it for a laid-off family member, a sick child, a fallen friend.” Do you realize they look out across this country, and all they see is misery? That’s all they see is misery, and everything they do bounces off of misery. They want you to see it the same way. They want you to feel miserable. They’re there to help you through the misery.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: I was just watching the Romneys in here walking to a rally. I guess they’re… I don’t know. Maybe it’s New Hampshire, or it’s Ohio somewhere. It’s on television. I have to say: They are the most wholesome (chuckling), most normal, pleasant-looking couple that I can think of in public life. They just look happy, confident, comfortable in their own skins.

Saying “normal” is gonna offend people, and I don’t want to offend anybody with this. I just think it would be a shame if the country misses out on such a good guy as Romney seems to be. I think it would be a real, real shame. Just the contrast in the two culturally and substantively. Romney knows it isn’t about him. With Obama, everything’s about him.

We couldn’t have a greater contrast here. You really couldn’t. It’s all about voting, folks. All these stories and all of the media coverage and all the polling data, it just always comes down to voting. And that’s what you have to do. There’s plenty of time, if you haven’t voted. Never, ever think that your vote’s gonna be made up by somebody else so you don’t have to. It doesn’t work that way.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: One other thing: Today is the absolute last chance to stop Obamacare. This is it, folks. The last chance to stop Obamacare. And we need your vote.